EDDIE ENURU
The Minister for Education and Sports Janet Museveni has blasted the leadership of public universities over their failure to plan effectively – leaving institutions embroiled in perennial strikes and problems.
Janet made the remarks during a monitoring visit to Soroti University – the latest addition to the list of public institutions of higher learning.
She said she was concerned that public universities were constantly challenged by student and other strikes which she attributed to the institutions’ failure to foresee the future.
Uganda has 9 public universities.
But many of these institutions’ development is curtailed by incessant student, lecturer and non-teaching staff strikes a situation Janet blames on the institutions’ leadership to plan ahead.
At Makerere University the country’s premium public institution of higher learning, strikes and sit downs have become the order of the day especially in the last decade – with each semester bringing fresh challenges to solve.
Mrs Museveni says many of the problems facing public universities can be easily avoided if University management and Councils invested more in foreseeing the future.
She challenged the institution’s leadership to plan effectively to avoid problems affecting older institutions. This includes not relying on donors for finances.
The government following lobbying by stakeholders from the Teso sub-region in 2012 established Soroti University.
The institution expected to start operation next Academic year is to specialize in science subjects, focusing on human medicine and engineering.
Sh15.7 billion has so far been spent on the establishment of the university.
Government has earmarked sh 6 billion for setting up of the Faculty of Medicine next financial year.
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